


Agents of Death

by Blindmag



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Character Study, Flirting, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 11:33:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29608791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blindmag/pseuds/Blindmag
Summary: A short fic, but with several chapters. Ares appears to Thanatos and has a request for him to use Zagreus for their gain.
Relationships: Ares/Thanatos (Hades Video Game), Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Kudos: 8





	Agents of Death

A cold wind passed in Asphodel that evening. It chilled Thanatos’ flesh and he glanced down, puzzled. The blazing rivers and fiery chasms that were simply the ordinary ambiance of the place created an effective heat trap that he had actually grown fond of. When off duty, he would often float there and allow his mind to go blank, as to not dwell on unpleasant things. The heat would serve to dissolve his worry, his tension and anxiety, and allow him to feel a true release.  
But a cold wind in Asphodel surely confused him and he tried to venture to discover its origin. As he crested a hill overlooking a lake of sizzling fire, he frowned to see a shimmering white light amongst all the fire and rock. He floated over and kneeled beside it.  
A frost rose somehow, against all odds, was growing here in Asphodel. He had only ever seen one of these nearer the surface, and usually in much larger abundance. Never alone like this. His grey hand reached out to touch it, but he feared the cold would shock him. Instead, he basked in its bizarre chill.  
A floating boon left behind by his clumsy, thick-headed lover who was surely back in the Great Hall by now, activated itself entirely on its own. He narrowed his gaze, keeping his eyes stuck to the beautiful white rose. He knew this fiery red light and the war god that accompanied it. Always first came that surge of bloodlust that he erupted out of every pore, and then those piercing eyes that stared right down into your soul, immediately examining every one of your weaknesses. Thanatos sighed and finally allowed his fingers to graze the rose, finding that the light and cold of it immediately shriveled and died.  
The flower wilted into a black weed and became nothing but a fitting piece of its setting.  
“What is it you want?” He asked quietly.  
“Now, now, that’s no way to greet a colleague of death,” Ares voice boomed and shivered through Thanatos, forcing a physical reaction that he fought with every atom of his being. He was standing still with no intention of coming close, arms crossed, bloodlust and fire tumbling out of him. He was always impressive, always forceful in his presence. There was no way to ignore the god, he didn’t allow it. Ares demanded attention, he commanded it simply with a gaze. “I take it our little friend did not make it past Asphodel today?” Thanatos simply sighed in response. Ares moaned in slight, bemused disappointment, “A pity. He was doing so well, carving such remarkable carnage in Tartarus. I was so sure he’d make it to the Hydra, where I could give him something truly powerful.”  
Thanatos took his weapon and finally turned to face his colleague, his eyes smoldering, “Zagreus is not a toy to be played with.”  
“Oh . . . You say that like you actually believe it,” Ares chuckled deeply, his dark eyes flashing, “We both know that getting what we want is in our nature. Zagreus plays a beautiful role in giving us more of what we want. Bloodshed. Death. Destruction.”  
“You delight in it far more than I, Lord Ares.”  
“I can change that for you.” Ares then reached his muscular arm out and snapped his fingers, a boon of delicious, seductive destruction appearing in his hand. It shimmered there and caused the god of death to feel yet another physical reaction in his body, including a pool of drool appearing in his mouth. He could feel the savage rage, sour like meat to a starving throat. It was pure, desirable lust for death. Thanatos glared up at him, fighting his craving.  
“You still think you can influence me?”  
“Only if this is a struggle for you,” Ares chuckled, unable to wipe the smirk from his face as his eyes became alight with the fire of his boon he was still offering, “I have been doing this far longer than you. However, you know I have the utmost respect for you and your take on things. Together, we are both agents of death. I would never disrespect you.”  
Thanatos turned from him and floated away, stopping at a cliff that overlooked a massive volcano of ever-flowing lava. The heat of it singed his skin and allowed him to think straight. Ares was still there, behind him, and placed his hands on his shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze.  
“I never mean to fluster you so, Thanatos. Accept my apologies.”  
“You only speak in manipulation,” Thanatos muttered, keeping his eyes on the bright, bubbling lava. “Your twisting apologies are poison.”  
“You wound me. I mean you no harm.” Thanatos could hear the smirk on his face and fought against Ares’ intense grip, but found himself weak. There was only one being that had this sort of power over him, and as much as it frustrated him, he couldn’t help but want to indulge. Again, he wasn’t sure how much of it was influence and how much of it was his own inability to deny himself such bloodlust. Ares was bad for him in so many ways, it was why they didn’t often convene.  
They could hear beasts and wretches fighting amongst themselves, their cries and roars carrying through the thick, hot air around them. The volcanic vents continued to omit ceaseless, boiling lava. And for a moment, Thanatos found himself standing there feeling relatively helpless.  
“I have a request for you, O God of Death,” Ares whispered in his ear, taking his chin now and unabashedly restricting his movement, “My kin Zagreus is easily influenced by those he cares for most. And those of us in Olympus now know that that is you.” Thanatos growled in response to this, fighting against him, “You could be the one to steer him in the direction of destruction and death. You could urge him to take my gifts and submit to his anger and rage. Start a war in his own home, against his own family.” By the end of his statement, he was holding Thanatos so strongly that the pain of his grip was becoming too much. The bubbling fire of the lava around them was affected by his bloodlust, churning and splashing near them.  
“You forget yourself,” Thanatos growled, “Release me.”  
Ares did, chuckling as the god scrambled away from him. “Think about it, you get Zagreus, and we get more death. It’s win-win, my colleague.”  
“I will not manipulate him so easily. He is providing me with more work than usual lately by his own volition.” Thanatos snarled, collecting himself and allowing his body to relax as it was away from the pull and influence of the god of war.  
“Remember that my requests are not always a choice,” Ares growled, his eyes becoming dark and his smile becoming less apparent. A dark shade drifted over his expression, “Sometimes the Fates will see it happen, as we all know. Death is inevitable. War is something that will never cease as long as there is desire that exists in the hearts of men. And my hell-born kin has nothing but desire in his heart.” Ares approached him again, but Thanatos forced distance between them. “Allow him to indulge a bit. Perhaps it will be good for him.”  
Thanatos tried to turn to get away, attempted to use his magic to disappear to anywhere but there, but Ares was quicker as he descended upon him, cloaking him in shadow and slamming a boon of death over him. The cascading blood-red desire that overcame him was so strong that he couldn’t help but allow it to do with him what it wanted. He took a firm grip of his weapon and roared involuntarily into the sky, a bellow that he wasn’t sure he was capable of before.  
Ares watched his handiwork from a distance with vicious, lustful eyes as Thanatos took his scythe to every wretch within a mile distance of him, slashing and carving a path of incensed destruction. He was vaguely aware of the manipulation as he did, but his mind was too overtaken, too draped in red cruelty to focus on it. When the boon’s effects waned, he leaned on his knees and caught his breath, cursing the name of his colleague, who thanked him in a throaty purr before vanishing into a ruby cloud and finally leaving him in peace.

Zagreus, back in his chamber in Hades and dully looking through his weapon selection to try to decide on what to use for his next attempt, craned his neck at a sudden flash to see a flustered Thanatos appearing to him out of nowhere.  
“Oh, Than, hello! I don’t usually see you here.”  
Thanatos was rightly blushing and breathing ragged as he simply growled, “Do not take any of the Lord Ares boons on your next attempt out of here. Do you understand me?”  
Zagreus blinked, and nodded, his mind empty at what was causing his friend such discomfort, “Uhm, sure. I will not.” And the god of death vanished just as quickly and disconcertedly as he always did. Zagreus knew not to ask, but curiosity was definitely getting the better of him this time.


End file.
